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My eBook “Think Like a Scientist: Understanding Weather & Climate” is now available through NSTA Press. Learn more about this and other NSTA ebooks for the K-5 classroom here.
Author Archives: MrMusselman
Developing Learning Strands: The Making of a NSTA National Conference – Part 1
It can be a surprise to many (including me!) but a conference as big as the NSTA’s National Conference takes more than two full years to develop. As the chairperson for the upcoming 2020 NSTA National Conference in Boston I joined … Continue reading
My New Favorite Way to Say “Stop Using the Scientific Method”
For generations human civilization presented the model of Earth as flat. Sure, it seemed to work under specific scenarios, like when you stood at a high point and looked out to the horizon. No curve? Must be flat. Model works. … Continue reading
Posted in Professional Reflections
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‘Unoriginal Ideas’ that Improve our “Ability to Share a Message”
In the midst of holiday merry making and Christmas cleanup I was able to take a bite out of my podcast backlog; including several episodes of the “Innovator’s Mindset” MOOC series currently being chewed on by teachers and administrators in … Continue reading
Behind Every “Outstanding Teacher” is an Outstanding Community of Educators
During this year’s MAST Conference I was honored as the “2017 Science Teacher of the Year for Middlesex County.” I sat beside fellow educators from across the state being recognized for outstanding accomplishments, humbled by their stories of bringing their … Continue reading
EcoTarium Exhibit Engineering Challenge!
Before heading out for summer break, my partner Wendy Pavlicek and I put together a pair of videos designed to drive an engineering challenge for our Grade 2 students who will be investigating habitats next year. The challenge is designed … Continue reading
Posted in Classroom Activities, K-2
Tagged ecosystems, engineering, field trips, life science
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Beyond Toothpicks and Marshmallows: Engineering Earthquake Resistant Structures
I’ve been searching high and low for an earthquake engineering design challenge that gave students more control in planning and evaluating their earthquake-resistant constructions than the common “toothpicks and marshmallows” challenge often seen in primary and middle grades. So … Continue reading
Posted in 3-5, Classroom Activities, Digital Tools, NGSS
Tagged earth science, earthquakes, engineering, waves and communication
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Facilitating a Weather & Climate Unit with my new NSTA Kids eBook
NSTA is unveiling a new “Think Like a Scientist” series of eBooks at the #NSTA17 Conference in Los Angeles for elementary age students. While NSTA has been producing eBooks for teachers and older students for some time now, these eBooks may be … Continue reading
Posted in 3-5, Digital Tools, NGSS, Professional Reflections
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